Holy Orthodox Church in North America

Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Brookline, Massachusetts

The Holy Orthodox Church in North America (or "HOCNA"; also known as "the Panteleimonites") is an Old Calendarist jurisdiction initially formed by former members of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America who joined the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in the 1960's in protest of the excessive ecumenical activities of Patriarch Athenagoras I (Spyrou) of Constantinople and Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) of America. In 1987-1988, these communities left the ROCOR and following a brief period under two independent Old Calendarist bishops in Greece, were received by the Old Calendarist Synod of Archbishop Auxentios of Athens. HOCNA is not in communion with any mainstream Orthodox church.

Its most prominent community is Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Boston, where the founder and former abbot, the retired Archimandrite Panteleimon (Metropoulos), is considered HOCNA's spiritual leader.

HOCNA today

The Holy Orthodox Church in North America is an Eparchial Synod with parishes and monastic communities in the United States, as well as Europe and Central America. Today HOCNA consists of five monastic communities and 13 parishes. Their monastic communities are well known world wide for their incense, hand painted icons and mounted icon photographs, pure beeswax candles, vestments and clerical clothing. Also, since the founding of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, the brotherhood has dedicated themselves to producing translations of texts necessary for Orthodox Church life. Many books of the lives of the Saints and concerning matters of the Faith have been published. Especially, out of desire to benefit the Church, liturgical books of primary importance have been translated into English and published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery: A Prayerbook for Orthodox Christians, The Pentecostarion, The Great Horologion, the complete 12-volume set of The Menaion and The Psalter According to the Seventy. Some patristic works have also been translated and published, most notably The Ladder of Divine Ascent, The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian, and The Synodicon of Orthodoxy. HOCNA has published The Struggle Against Ecumenism, the most extensive history of the "True Orthodox Church" available in English[1] and also has published a series of tracts on the spiritual life, contemporary Church issues, and moral issues.

Hierarchs, Metropolises and Parishes

Today, HOCNA consists of Holy Transfiguration Monastery and an estimated 13 parishes throughout the United States, the most famous of which is St Nektarios American Orthodox Cathedral in Seattle, Washington[2]. Administratively, HOCNA is divided into 3 metropolises - Boston, Seattle, and Toronto. HOCNA currently has four hierarchs. With the exception of Gregory, all were monks at Holy Transfiguration Monastery for ten years or more.

• Ephraim, Metropolitan of Boston, President of the Holy Synod
• Makarios, Metropolitan of Toronto
• Gregory, auxiliary Bishop of Brookline, Locum Tenens of the Metropolis of Seattle
• Andrew, auxiliary Bishop of Markham

In 2011, after several years of controversy over the autonomous canonical status of HOCNA and the relatively recent controversy regarding the posthumous salvation of non-Orthodox taught by Metropolitan Ephraim and Archimandrite Panteleimon, the entire Metropolis of Portland (along with its bishops, Metropolitan Moses and his suffragan Bishop Sergius) and all the parishes of the Metropolis of Toronto were received by the Genuine Greek Orthodox Church of America. Other clergy, including the dean of clergy of the Metropolis of Boston and rector of Holy Nativity Convent, also joined the Genuine Greek Orthodox Church of America along with the above clergy and bishops.

In 2012, after continuing disputes involving accusations of heresy against Metropolitan Ephraim and Archimandrite Panteleimon, and further revelations regarding the sexual abuse allegations against Archimandrite Panteleimon, a majority of parishes, Bishop Demetrios of Carlisle, and 17 monks of Holy Transfiguration Monastery leave HOCNA for the Genuine Greek Orthodox Church of America under Metropolitan Pavlos. [3]]"

On March 21, 2013, it was announced that what remained of the Holy Orthodox Church in North America had entered into communion with the True Orthodox Church of Greece (Synod of Archbishop Makarios of Athens) as a "Sister Church".

Monastic communities

United States of America

• Holy Ascension Skete, York, Maine
• Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, Massachusetts
• Convent of the Meeting of the Lord, Stanwood, Washington
• Holy Nativity Convent, Brookline, Massachusetts
• Hermitage of St. Mary Magdalene, Warrenton, Virginia

Republic of Georgia

• Hermitage of Saint Maximus the Confessor, Abastumani.

Greece

• Convent of the Annunciation, Oinoussae, Chios

Russia

• Holy Dormition Convent, Chubayevo, Chuvashia

External links

Official HOCNA Sites

• HOCNA Metropolis of Boston
• Convent of the Meeting of the Lord Candle Shop Website
• Holy Transfiguration Monastery
• Holy Nativity Convent
• St. John the Confessor Orthodox Church, Ipswich, MA.
• St. Anna's Orthodox Church, Roslindale, MA.
• St. Philaret Orthodox Mission Chapel, Chicopee, MA.

Anti-HOCNA websites and documents:

• A website created by former members of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
• Allegations against HOCNA on Pokrov website
• Fr John Whiteford's articles about HOCNA
• Collection of documents pertaining to the accusations of heresy and the scandals concerning Fr. Pateleimon by former clergy of HOCNA.
• Open Letter of Fr. John Fleser of St. Anna's Orthodox Church (HOCNA) to Metropolitan Ephraim concerning the name-worshipping heresy and Fr. Panteleimon's admission of guilt regarding sexual abuse allegations.
• Letter of Fr. Sergios, former monk of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, on the heresy and immorality of Fr. Panteleimon.
• Facts about name-worshipping
• Article in The National Herald, from the November 29, 2012 edition, on the sexual abuse charges against Fr. Panteleimon.

HOCNA's Defense

Holy Transfiguration Monastery has made available to following documents in order to refute some of the accusations made against them:

• Answer to Pokrov
• Clarifying the Record

See also

• HOCNA on Wikipedia